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Loading... Rutherford B. Hayes and His America (1954)by Harry Barnard
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)973.8History and Geography North America United States 1865-1901LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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Barnard's book was originally written in 1954 - I read the 1994 reprint. At times, Barnard is distinctly an author of the 50's. Some of the discussion of Hayes' relationship with his sister smacks of psychoanalysis. There's a constant thread through the first half of the book worrying about Hayes' "manliness" that seems out of place today. But Barnard's very readable, especially when discussing the 1876 election where Hayes won the Presidency through the manipulation of vote counting in Florida, South Carolina and Louisiana. Reading this with the 2000 election in mind, Barnard sounds oddly up to date, even though he wrote 45 years before Bush v. Gore went to the Supreme Court.
All in all, Rutherford B. Hayes: And His America is a good introduction to an interesting man. It's less about the times than about who he was, and that's what I liked about it. ( )